Page 32 of Artfully Wild
“You’ll make the right choice.”
Part of me isn’t so sure.
The hours pass easily with the scratch of my pencil and eventually the strokes of the paintbrush as I fully finish Riley’s portrait that took a little bit longer than expected. Riley didn’t take too kindly to staying in one spot and eventually Jacob gave up on trying to get the pomeranian to stay in his place. With the sketch done at that point though, it didn’t matter too much.
Distraction is another thing that made this take a lot longer than it should have. I didn’t count on Jacob being a distraction but I found my brush hanging midair or stopping in the middle of the canvas, because I was too busy staring at him fiddlingwith Riley’s fur or chasing him around the studio and tripping over his own feet. Bending down to pick the dog up and bring him closer to me again so I could get a detail on his face right. I made sure to look up from the canvas every time to watch that happen.
I’m almost positive it’s something he did on purpose more than once, but I’m not complaining. “See something you like, sweetheart?”
He’s caught me staring once again as I’m putting away my supplies. “Absolutely not.” This pencil goes here, the paint brushes need to be washed, the palette should go in a sink to be washed—I really should get a sink in here, actually. The attempt to fill my mind with the mundane tasks fails as Jacob comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist and nuzzles his face into my neck.
“Ready for our date?”
“Mmmm,” I lay my head back onto his shoulder and wish we could just go on our date like this. Technically, we could, but I’d rather shower before we go anywhere. “Not yet.”
“You still haven’t told me where we are going.”
“It’s a secret.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
JACOB
Being in the dark always seems like the scariest thing, especially if you’re a kid who’s deathly afraid of the dark—I was one of those kids. But this time, I think I like being in the dark. Skylar hasn’t told me anything about our date today. She’s kept everything a secret insisting she had to be the one to plan everything from start to finish and I am not allowed to know any of it.
So where are we going?
After I showered and had a snack and stressed over what to wear for over an hour, I gave up and wrapped myself back into my blankets. Which is where I’ve spent the last few minutes lying in bed with the dogs while Sophie handles the clinic for the day.
Little Sparrow
Not telling.
Her stubbornness never ceases to amaze me. Once she has an idea, she sticks to it.
Then how do I know what I’m supposed to wear? I need to know so I can plan my outfit.
Little Sparrow
Your outfit? When did you become a fashionista??
Excuse me, I have always taken great care into what I wear every day.
Little Sparrow
You wear scrubs every day.
That I take great care in picking out!
Little Sparrow
You mean, you grab the set that is on top of your clean laundry pile.
Mmmm, you know me too well, little sparrow.
Little Sparrow
I do.
